Evening news ratings jump with superstorm coverage

NEW YORK (AP) — Superstorm Sandy was a boon for the television network evening newscasts — most prominently for Brian Williams and NBC's "Nightly News."

The ABC, CBS and NBC newscasts have collectively drawn 21.2 million viewers a night this fall. But last week, with an epic storm crashing into the New Jersey coastline and affecting the eastern third of the U.S., the newscasts had nearly 5 million more viewers a night.

The Nielsen company said Tuesday that Williams' broadcast increased its viewership an average of 29 percent. The ABC "World News" average was up 18 percent for the season and "CBS Evening News" was up 21 percent.

The increase is more impressive considering many viewers in the New York area, the nation's largest media market, lost power from the storm.